God be merciful to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us, That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. Psalm 67:1-2
Dear <<First Name>>
Thank you for your continued prayers for God’s blessing on the ministry in Ukraine. We have seen evidence that God is answering prayer. May31-June 1 our post abortion ministry leaders conducted a training for new group leaders at our center. They were very nervous about their first attempt at training others, but it was wonderful to see them blossom and gain confidence as they began teaching and sharing their experience. We had 8 women complete the training. Six of them were from our ministry here in Odessa and two of them were from eastern Ukraine. The ladies from eastern Ukraine hope to begin a similar ministry there. Pray that God will guide them in knowing the best way to proceed in their area, and that we will have wisdom as we seek to support and encourage them. Pray for God’s blessing as our ministry team works to incorporate the newly trained ladies into the ministry.
This has been a busy month in the clinic ministry as well. It is encouraging to see glimpses of how God is at work in hearts. In our newest village of Zarya, one of the ladies was excited to tell me that she had attended church every Sunday since our last clinic and that she really enjoyed it. She is not yet a believer, but I think has enjoyed the love and acceptance that she has received from the small group of believers there. Pray that the message of the gospel will penetrate her heart. In another village Pastor Lonya and I made a home visit to an elderly man who probably does not have much longer to live. He says he is ready to die, but as Pastor Lonya visited with him it was evident that he was trusting his good works to get him to heaven. Pastor Lonya shared the gospel with him and hopes to visit him again soon. Pray that he will understand his need for a Savior!
I would like to ask you to pray especially for the medical ministry this week. We have a team of four who have come from the states to help us do medical clinics in eastern Ukraine. We will leave tomorrow the 9th on the train and will have 5 days of clinics the 11-15th in the area around Lysychansk in the Lugansk oblast. On the 16th we will be serving in local churches and will head back to Odessa on the 17th. We will be working with two local Ukrainian partners who have been very active in serving refugees and those impacted by the conflict. Please pray for God to bless our team with unity and safety and that hearts would be open to the gospel.
This past month I also celebrated 40 years of life! Some of my friends got together and had a surprise party for me. I also enjoyed celebrations with our clinic staff & my choir at church. I received many flowers, gifts, and notes of encouragement. I am richly blessed and am so thankful for all that God has done in my life up to this point. I am looking forward to what He will do in the next 40 years! Thank you for upholding the ministry in Ukraine with your support and prayers.